Guten Tag!

May 16, 2008

Melancholy and Pastries

No matter how much I would wish it to be otherwise, the life I have here in Germany is impermanent. However much I allow myself to fall in love with the quiet beauty of the countryside around me, it does not mean that I belong here--or that any of this will last forever.

We will always be foreigners. The small toe-hold we have in our tiny village is only a fleeting one. Some day, it'll be time for us to leave it all behind.

Maybe that's why I feel so strongly about writing down a few of my thoughts about life in Germany, and photographing what's around me. I keep wanting to remind myself to see--to really see--what it is we have here. I want to notice the tiny, ordinary details of German life, so that someday, when I'm gone, they will come back to me.

Sharing my life here with you has been really fun over the last three months. Being able to say, "Look what I saw today," helps me take notice of my world.

When I snap photographs of the lovely views I see while out on my walks, they are for you-- and for me. There's a strong need I feel to capture these scenes in my life--to file them away for safe keeping.

Some day I may need them.

That's what I was thinking about today as I went for my morning walk, and photographed the things I saw. I thought to myself--every image I capture, will someday remind me of what it was we once had here.

It 's very self-indulgent--to spend my days trying to capture moments of my life, and thinking about what I can tell you about next. I'm lucky to have a few blog friends like you, who are willing to stop by and visit now and then--to humor me, really.

I can't tell you how much I've enjoyed getting to be the village sleuth, filling you in about all the goings-on in town. There's always something to show you every day, something exciting and extraordinary--something mysterious and perplexing.

Okay, so, admittedly, it's mostly just ordinary, every-day life. However, as it's happening in Germany, it does seem to ratchet-up the intriguing factor substantially, don't you think?

Let's take a look at today's morning sleuthing, for example.

Here are some of my elderly German neighbors hard at work in their garden...

Together, let's imagine what it is she is telling him to do here.

What do you think? Do his shoulders seem to hint at subservience? Is she the one in charge in this relationship? How long has he been taking orders?

With my superior sneaky camera-skills, there's even more I can show you.

Here's the exact moment when I said, "Moyah!" on my morning walk today, and my neighbor looked up in surprise.

(She said, "Moyah!" back, by the way.)

Together, we can peer into backyards, and discuss the garden's design and plant choices.

And notice literary garden visitors.

I will show you a place where sometimes I see my neighbor's laundry hanging out to dry.

.

Granny Panty alert at twelve o'clock!

We can check-up on vegetable gardens, and watch how hard my elderly neighbors work.

Someday soon, this will be full of fresh veggies.

Maybe they will invite me over for a big salad...

I like to show you houses in the village, too.

Like this one:

It's actually the side of the house, but I like the way it looks here, with the little white bench at the top of the stone steps.

There are cool, old barns with sitting areas like this one I really like, too:

After my walk, as I made my way back home, I spotted something wonderful coming down the hill--a dear friend on her way to the house for a visit.

Once inside, I decided to forget about the temporary nature of things, and drown my melancholy in sugary, pastry delights.

I am so thankful for the short time we have here. Each morning, I open my front door and it's like being given a beautifully-wrapped gift.

Comments

I feel quite melancholy myself after reading this post. You know, I think some people go through their entire lives never actually seeing what is around them. Your TALENT for seeing and recording should never be taken for granted, rather it should be admired and applauded. THAT is why I keep dropping by for a chat, that and the pastries, of course.

P.S. That elderly couple really remind me of my grandparents. Right now I'm beginning to worry that I will be that woman giving orders with the apron on. Gee, that melancholia is catching.

P.P.S. Please don't say that you may stop blogging when you move back home, wherever that may be, because if that's the case then I am THIS close to opening that can of woop-ass (which is now my family's favourite phrase).

I think it's an incredible opportunity to be able to live someplace so different, for however long (which is one of the reasons we rent houses when we travel) and you have been smart enough to savor your time there.
I suppose, in three years, you will look back on Fridays at Trafo with a sad smile - but who knows where you will be then?
I'm voting for Tokyo.

Please...document your stay there to your heart's content. I'll be here, reading your posts and wishing I, too, could have a German adventure. (Especially on the first Saturday of every month. I'm insanely envious of that fantastic flea market.)

i've been lurking for a bit and just wanted to say hello and echo everyone else's admiration and joy at your posts! you're inspiring me to take more photos of where i am, because there are so many little things to enjoy every day.

The woman in the couple definitely rules. It's all in their body language, in fact.
It'll be wonderful to go through these posts when you'll be away (Tokyo it is?) and then you'll have a new place to show us all!
A question for you though: the whole post was so sweet, why did you have to turn so defensive on those pastries??? Sharing...don't forget...you must share...
What are they planing, do you know? We just planted tomatoes of various species, eggplants, bell peppers, pumpkin and zucchini. For now.

I enjoy your life vicariously and I think you make it more special because of its impermanence. Those cunning gardens, sweet scenes of ordinary life, darling barns ... sigh. I thank you for this blog because it lets me pretend and imagine a bit every day.

This is a great post - your mission statement! I love the opportunity to visit and be part of your village - to admire the woodpiles and the gnomes and the amzing scenery. Just as well that the pastry van doesn't come as far as ChezMagpie or there wouldn't be any left for you.

I've been popping in to visit for a few weeks now...and love meandering about German town and countryside with eurolush! You manage to make an ordinary day extraordinary. I want to relish my everyday surroundings in a similar manner. I think this is one reason why I love having small children...they experience such wonder over whatever they encounter. And the bonus, you can get away with far more when your children are there beside you! Just try lying prone in the grass, intently observing a busy family of ants without children nearby and see the assortment of looks you will gather from passersby! LOL

Thanks so much for opening up a window onto your world. I love peeking in!